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Uni Project Advice

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2-tone

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I’ve just started the final year of a BEng (Hons) Electronic Engineering Degree and I need to decide on my final year project. Now from reading the forum I know this is not a place to where people do you work for you and you like people to at least have an idea when it comes to the final year project.

I have a few ideas and they are detailed below, but I’m not sure which to pick. I have a very busy life style. Full Time Job (doing degree part time), 4 kids. To add to this my Wife is doing a MA degree (after just completing a BA). We each go to different Universities (both over 1hrs drive from where we live) and frequently, due to the kids have to take it in turns to miss lectures (in fact in one year our time tables clashed so much that I had to do year 3 before year 2).

I’m not telling you all this to get the excuses in early they are just the facts and I hope in a way shows you how hard I am willing to work.

As I said I have some project ideas, but in case any of you have different ideas I will give you a brief outline of my job.

I am an Electronics Technician at a company that has to fields:

1. TV Graphics For Golf Broadcasts – We produce the equipment and provide the service for golf events all over the world.
2. Motor Sports Timing - We produce and use the equipment that officially times the GT motor racing series.

Although I have the title of Technician, the nature and set up of the Business is such that I basically a wireman, meaning I don’t get the chance to put my knowledge into action (some one else does all the designing).

The Company has agreed to fund the project and it doesn’t have to be work based, although they have suggested one

Right I’ve waffled long enough. Now to my project ideas.

Project A – Weather Station (the one my company provided):
To design a weather station that can be used at both golf and motor ports events

1. To provide real-time information for the following:

Humidity
Air temperature
Ground temperature
Barometric pressure
Wind speed
Wind direction
Rain fall
Lightening sensor

2. Unit values should be selectable e.g. Km/h, Mph, m/s, oC, oF
3. Data must be available over the network and allow for multiple connections
4. The sensors must be mobile and therefore must have power self contained
5. Each sensor must connect wirelessly to a base station

Also If Possible
1. Base Station should keep a history of recent measurements to allow charts to be produced
2. The system should have a web interface for configuration
Should use GPS for accurate timing of measurements

Project B – Lost Child Locator:
Child wears wrist transmitter and parent has receiver in mobile phone. If transmitter is more than a permitted distance from receiver (ie child wonders off), phone rings to alert parent at which point the LCD displays the position of both transmitter & receiver enabling parent to locate child

Project C – Automated Time Check:
The timing system that our company produced uses transponders. When a car crosses a certain point on the track, the system receives a time which is printed on a printer the time also goes to a check console where a time keeper checks the time for validity before manually keying it through to a 2nd printer as a back up. The idea is to automate this part of the system.

Project D – Automatic Uni Register (Not My Idea I Confess)
Chip embedded in student card that logs if the student is attending lectures by registering there presence in the room during lectures.

Project E – Hotel Fire alarm Register:
Similar to above but this time a chip is embedded in the Hotel Room Key Card. In the event of a fire alarm a pc creates a log of those active cards still in the ground of the hotel, to give a rough idea of if the hotel has be evacuated.

My Thoughts:
Project A – Could Be Complicated Or Just End Up As A Sensor Sopping List
Project B – To Many Product Similar To This Out There
Projuct C – Governing Body Will Not Allow This Part To Be Automated
Project D – To Simple For A Uni Project?????
Project E – Can’t See It Working When Peoples Lives May Be In Question

My Strengths:
C Programming
Maths

My problem is which to choose. I have until April to complete but my time is limited as stated above. So I need a project that is not too complex but will be big enough to satisfy the Uni.

If it helps with any other ideas, my other interest (apart from electronics) is football particularly development of kids skills
 
2-tone said:
Project E – Hotel Fire alarm Register:
Similar to above but this time a chip is embedded in the Hotel Room Key Card. In the event of a fire alarm a pc creates a log of those active cards still in the ground of the hotel, to give a rough idea of if the hotel has be evacuated.


Project E – Can’t See It Working When Peoples Lives May Be In Question

I like this one. Very practical and keep in mind, you are doing a project, not developing a product for which peoples lives are at stake. This is just proof of concept.

The other projects are IMO, too complicated to actually finish within a semester with a lifestyle like yours. A simpler but complete project will yield more learning than a complicated incomplete one.
 
Project D seems to be the easiest one to get working, although things can get more complex very quickly and easily. Think the key thing would be finding whatever projects that interest you.
 
Project A seems to have the most scope.
What you have described is a very comprehensive system, but for the university project it would be best if you could just concentrate on parts of the system.

For example, pick two or three sensors, interface them to some telemetry outstation which can then transmit the data to the central logging point.
Most of the things you want to measure are simple analogue quantities, scaling and digitising each of these should be a simple task. Designing the telemetry for them is a bit more interesting.

At the central logging point, transfer the data from the telemetry master station to a PC and store it, display it, do the conversion to whatever units.
Then make a network connection to the PC for remote access etc.

Break the task down into self contained lumps, and then implement as many lumps as you can for your project.

JimB
 
Cheers for the input.

I have to make my choice early next week, so I'll let you know what I decide and, if its ok, seek more advice along the way.

My Uni project supervisor has concerns about Project A and like JimB he has said if I choose that one, break it down.

Wish I had come across this site earlier
 
The weather station (A) has a good mix of hardware and software components and I agree it could be fairly complex. You might consider inventing some of the sensors yourself as well, but the shopping list of features including the wireless connectivity, and internet, and power supply mobility and so on is extensive and may be overwhelming as it is. This one could turn into a systems design, where all the I/O devices are bought in and your job is to integrate them into a system.

Idea C seems a bit too simple. E is a good one.

Your final choice depends on which one stimulates you the most. Since this will take a fair bit of work, it would be helpful to optimize your motivation. In my experience, the complex ideas that integrate into larger systems, like the hotel ID one, are not as much fun as self-contained devices or mini-systems that can be demonstrated fairly easily and tested without a lot of infrastructure support. I like to be able to see my entire project on one work bench, with all the lights flashing, parts moving, and so on.
 
Thanks for the ideas/suggestions RadioRon.

Inventing the sensors is something I never thought of and would fit in well with JimB's breaking it down suggestion.

This is definitely helping.
 
I too think project A is best for you. As Jimb said if u follow the modular approach. Well i m in the final year too (wandring for the final year project ideas but the diffrence is that i m not that busy all i need is an excellent project idea)
 
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